'Gorilla' Greipel gets the stage - and the overall

Germany's Andre Greipel (Team High Road) has capped off a stellar week by claiming
the final Tour Down Under stage and as a result cementing his general classification
win. The 25 year-old entered this afternoon's 88 kilometre finale with a narrow
seven second lead over Alan Davis (UniSA-Australian National Team), but managed
to prevent the Queenslander from claiming enough of the 16 seconds on offer
to take victory.

"My sport director told me before the race, 'you don't have to think about
the jersey, just try to do your own sprint and win'," said Greipel. "I'm really
proud of it, my team is proud of me, everyone trusted me, I'm happy to be in
Australia for the first time and win my first ProTour race."

"I'm really proud of it and I had the best support in this race," he added.
"My team-mates were talking to me all the time and I had the best support throughout."

Greipel's reign Down Under commenced last Sunday evening, when the German was
the surprise victor at the pre-tour Down Under Classic criterium. Greipel sounded
a warning shot on the Glenelg circuit that was worthy of noting by the 133 rider
field, with the youngster storming to his first ProTour stage win on Wednesday,
before adding another three to his palmares - including today's final stage.

Greipel admitted to the assembled media that even after his victory in last
weekend's Down Under Classic, the possibility of winning the season-opening
ProTour race never entered his mind.

"Never," he said bluntly. "Yeah, I feel like I'm in heaven, I can't find any
words."

In addition to his mass of stage victories and the overall classification win,
Greipel now leads the ProTour for the first time. The German rider has earned
62 ProTour points during the course of the week, while Jose Joaquin Rojas Gil
(Caisse D'Epargne) sits in second place with just 30 points.

"I go back to Germany and after we have a training camp in California where
we decide what will be the next race," said Greipel of what he will do now.
"Normally it's Paris-Nice, and that's my aim."

Despite being delighted over his final day success, Greipel was disappointed
with the UniSA-Australian National Team's actions, claiming that one of its
riders blocked him in the day's crucial first sprint. However the event's chief
commissaries told Cyclingnews after the race that he was perfectly happy
with the first sprint and that no action could or would be taken.

"I was disappointed about the team member of Alan Davis, it was not fair,"
said Greipel. "We said before the race we wanted to have a fair race and that
first sprint was not fair. After we decided to do our own lead-outs and this
was the best chance to win the Tour Down Under.

"He did a lead out for Allan and he saw me on the back wheel and I wanted to
sprint over to the finish line," explained Greipel. "He saw me and rolled before
my bike and yeah, it was not fair."

Greipel outsprinted compatriot Jan Robert Forster (Gerolsteiner) for the victory,
while Australia's Graeme Brown (Rabobank) continued his week of near-misses
by taking the final podium spot.

How it unfolded

The field was greeted by 26 degree temperatures and a moderate breeze in otherwise
perfect racing conditions on Sunday afternoon in Adelaide. It was frantic from
the gun and while riders tried, none could get away.

They had to complete 16 laps of the 5.5 kilometre city circuit to make up the
88 km stage around the streets of Adelaide. After the first five laps, Allan
Davis (UniSA - Australia) took out the first intermediate sprint, from Greg
Henderson (High Road) and Stuart O'Grady (Team CSC) who was being very active
up front with his team-mates.

Davis' win in the first sprint took him to within just four seconds of Greipel's
leader's jersey after he was caught up in the sprint, unable to come around
Karl Menzies (UniSA-Australian National Team) who had given team-mate Davis
his lead out for the sprint. Despite Greipel's disappointment with Menzies'
actions, the event's chief commissaries told Cyclingnews after the race
that he was perfectly happy with the first sprint and that no action could or
would be taken.

With just seven laps remaining on the board, Team CSC were once again very
active on the front, coming into the second intermediate sprint. This time it
was Greipel who took out the sprint from Davis and Michael Albasini (Liquigas),
giving the German a near-impossible to beat five second lead over Davis in the
general classification.

With just under five laps to go a group of five riders opened up a 13 second
lead. It included Koen De Kort (Astana), Caisse D'Epargne's Nicolas Portal and
Luis Leon Sanchez, as well as Wim Vansevenant (Silence - Lotto) and Francesco
Gavazzi (Lampre). Working well together this group maintained their advantage
for three laps before Team CSC and UniSA-Australian National Team, looking to
get O'Grady and Davis respectively into a position to win the stage, reeled
them back in.

During the final two laps, all of the sprinters were seen moving to the front,
including Silence-Lotto's Robbie McEwen who looked to be setting himself up
to go for the win after a relatively quiet week. With so much fire power out
front, it looked to be anyone's stage as the descended on the finish line spread
across the road.

Showing the class that has brought him five wins this season already, Greipel
took the stage and the overall of the 10th Tour Down Under in a thrilling finale.
Robert Forster (Geronsteiner) was second and Graeme Brown third.